Gearbox servicing

[andym3]

How often is the auto gearbox meant to be serviced? 

[pvr]

Sealed for life supposedly, and life being 100k or so.

When I had a sump leak on my E53, the oil was obviously refreshed and I lost the gearbox jolt "feature" after that, so servicing seems sensible to me.

Mine was replaced at 65k (the oil that is).

[Greydog]

ZF recommend 80000 to 120000 k for servicing depending on use (towing etc) 8 years max

Attached is an excerpt from their service manual

Risk of injury to skin and eyes from hot components and hot liquids. Burns and scalds are possible.
Always wear safety goggles, protective gloves and protective clothing!
NOTICE

The electronic components of the mechatronics can be damaged by electrostatic discharge (ESD). Do not touch exposed contacts. Observe ESD protection. AL&


Observe the following instructions to prevent damage to the transmission:
n Do not tow vehicle if transmission is without oil. Follow the instructions issued by the vehicle manu¬facturer.
n For cleaning only use clean, lint-free cloths.
n Do not run the engine if there is no oil in the transmission.
n Use only the specified ZF LifeguardFluid for the respective transmission! (Tab. 1)
n Do not use any further additives, since they alter the chemical composition of the oil!
n Adjust the oil level in the transmission exactly according to filling regulations. If the oil level is too low, the transmission will be damaged. If the oil level is too high, the excess oil will leak from the transmission through the overflow when heated. The escaping oil can be ignited by hot components (e.g. exhaust system).
n Adhere to the bolting sequence (Fig. 1)
n Observe tightening torques (Table 2 - 14).
0 Before changing the oil: Read instructions carefully. Check which version (A / B / C) applies to
the oil change (Table 1).
ZF automatic transmissions are filled with specially developed semi-synthetic oils.
At very high operating temperatures, the oil ages faster than under normal conditions. Examples:
n Many trips at high speeds.
n Many trips with a trailer in tow.
n Sporty driving.
Depending on the driving style, ZF therefore recommends a transmission oil change every 80 000 to 120 000 km, or after 8 years at the latest.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG • ZF Services
Obere Weiden 12, 97424 Schweinfurt, Germany Technical Support Phone: +49 9721 4755555 Fax: +49 9721 4755556 techsupport.zf-services@zf.com
www.zf.com
© ZF Friedrichshafen AG Printed in Germany
30094 EN
08.2013

[andym3]

[quote="pvr"]
Sealed for life supposedly, and life being 100k or so.

When I had a sump leak on my E53, the oil was obviously refreshed and I lost the gearbox jolt "feature" after that, so servicing seems sensible to me.

Mine was replaced at 65k (the oil that is).
[/quote]
Sorry I should have added I get X5 gearbox serviced on everyone I've had.
But it's been 2yrs this November since the gearbox was last serviced that's approx 23k miles!
Just wondering how long between servicing? 

[andym3]

[quote="Greydog"]
ZF recommend 80000 to 120000 k for servicing depending on use (towing etc) 8 years max [/quote]

Wow ok, do you know if that's miles or km? 

[X5Sport]

Being German, I would go for km, so that's 50,000 miles for the start.  It does actually say km in the extract....

[andym3]

[quote="X5Sport"]
Being German, I would go for km, so that's 50,000 miles for the start.  It does actually say km in the extract....
[/quote]
Might leave the gearbox service for another year then! Service it every three years! 

[Smeeagain]

[quote="andym3"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
Being German, I would go for km, so that's 50,000 miles for the start.  It does actually say km in the extract....
[/quote]
Might leave the gearbox service for another year then! Service it every three years! 
[/quote]

For anyone considering doign this, or getting it done, it is also worth reading the various previous threads about the 'potential' downsides of changing the oil too. Do so, or not, at your own risk .....

[andym3]

New oil is always better than old oil, so why anyone wouldn't change the oil on something that contains oil I really don't understand!  )

[X5Sport]

Except when it cleans out the old crud and the box promptly fails.....which happens too frequently 

You just can't win with these blasted boxes 

[kennyfin73]

I replaced my oil at 100,000 miles, box was juddering slightly which prompted me to do so. Oil changed again at 130,000 and box failed at about 140,000.
Many discussions on failures etc with regular oil changes. Devil you do devil you don't....fact is these boxes fail at a certain mileage so regardless of oil change intervals they will fail!!

[Horizon]

Just curios, did you get yours gearbox rebuilt, or did you call it a day on your X?
Like you say, auto boxes can be a  weak link on these cars.

Not bad though 140k on the same gearbox.

[Greydog]

My thinking as an old engineer is all oil degrades, if you left engine oil changes you risk early engine problems through accelerated wear even early engine failure.
Yet acting on BMW's own advice most of their automatic cars (not just the X's) are way beyond the service schedule for the box by the time they come to the second owner market, let alone third. Yet many of these have given fault free service and continue to do so. Those that start to fail are flagged here and gain a reputation as a weak point.
Heat is the killer of all lubricants there was a great post on fitting a trans oil cooler last week, lucky for me my car has one fitted (obviously the first owner who had the tow pack fitted knew something) If an engine had worn bearings valve guides or timing chain no one would expect an oil change to fix it. Same for the box if it has underlying issues a fluid change wont fix it but if the box is basically sound fluid changes can only help to extend its life.
So personally I would service the gearbox and diffs at least once in my ownership for any car.

[andym3]

My thoughts exactly! 

[cooa99]

..... And maybe put some money aside for for the possibility of gearbox failure


Out of curiosity are auto trans more prone to failures than manual?